Oscars 2023: Stephanie Hsu Thought She Was ‘Hallucinating,’ Michelle Yeoh ‘Overwhelmed’ and More Reactions From Nominees

”I’m absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful,” Brendan Fraser says

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” breakout star Stephanie Hsu learned that she’d earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination on Tuesday just after her flight landed in Los Angeles. And the first text message of congratulations to reach her was short and to the point: “Holy s—.”

“I knew that the announcements were happening today and I was flying back from Sydney. I woke up just before it was happening. And then I put my phone on the little tray next to my coffee and it just started going zoing zoing!” Hsu said with a laugh. “I got the news sort of right as I was landing, so I thought I was hallucinating.”

Hsu was just one of many nominees from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” as the film topped all other entries with 11 overall nominations, including acting nods for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Other top performers included “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” each garnering nine nominations, “Elvis” nabbing eight, and “The Fabelmans” grabbing seven. (The complete list of nominees is here.)

Here are more reactions from this year’s nominees.

Michelle Yeoh, Best Actress, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“I am overwhelmed and overjoyed with happiness! Every single person who worked on this film poured their heart and soul into it, and we are all so grateful to the Academy for recognizing so many from our EEAAO family. Playing Evelyn Wang has been one of the great privileges of my 40 year career. It is truly the role of a lifetime. Thank you to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for seeing me and for this opportunity, I will forever cherish this moment.”

Paul Mescal, Best Actor, “Aftersun”
“This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in ‘Aftersun.’ To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I’m so utterly grateful. I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!”

Angela Bassett, Best Supporting Actress, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“This morning is a little extra special in the Bassett Vance household with news of my Oscar nomination. What has drawn me to each of the women I’ve portrayed throughout my career is their strength, compassion, resilience, and power. ‘Wakanda Forever’s’ Queen Ramonda is a character that touched my spirit because she is a mother and a leader who must care for her grieving nation as much as she cares for her family in mourning. Ramonda is a love letter that reflects and acknowledges what we women do everyday. There was so much to unpack as an actress because it’s brilliant storytelling, alongside a wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera. I’m thankful to the Academy for including me amongst a wonderful group of actresses. Congratulations to my fellow ‘Wakanda Forever’ nominees – Ryan Coogler, Ruth E. Carter, Camille Friend, Joel Harlow, Rihanna, Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick. I look forward to March 12 as we cheer for and celebrate with one another.”

Bill Nighy, Best Actor, “Living”
“Everyone associated with ‘Living’ is honoured by the Academy’s nomination and grateful for the spotlight it throws upon the film. We hope it will encourage people to see it. I was surrounded by assassins and this belongs to them all.”

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A24

Brendan Fraser, Best Actor, “The Whale”
“I’m absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition and for recognizing Hong Chau’s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot’s incredible makeup. I wouldn’t have this nomination without Darren Aronofsky, Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of Charlie. A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!”

Hong Chau, Best Supporting Actress, “The Whale”
“l am overjoyed by this morning’s news. Being a part of this film was an unforgettable experience, and I share this nomination with the creative and talented people alongside whom I worked on this project. And a big congrats to Brendan, my co-star and dear friend, as well as our amazing hair and makeup team on their nominations this morning. Thank you so much to the Academy for this recognition and a special thank you to Darren, A24, and the entire cast and crew of ‘The Whale.’”

Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actor, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“I cannot even begin to describe how incredible this feeling is to be recognized as an Oscar nominee! Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine this moment. It still doesn’t feel real! Thank you so much to The Academy for this wonderful honor and for believing in our little movie. The outpouring of love and the warm welcome back is something I will cherish forever. To my fellow nominees – I am floored by your work, and I feel very lucky to be standing alongside you today. To my EEAAO family, CONGRATULATIONS! I love you!!!”

Judd Hirsch, Best Supporting Actor, “The Fabelmans”
“In truth, I am surprised, humbled and thankful to be deserving of such an honor. And Steven Spielberg….what can I say.”

Kerry Condon, Best Supporting Actress, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
“I’m not sure I can articulate how I feel. ‘Was it a vision or a waking dream?’ This is something I have wanted my whole life. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing me and the cast and crew members of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’”

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Original Screenplay, Best Director, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and the Daniels and Jonathan Wang, Best Picture, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Wow…we are still processing this surreal list of nominations, but we keep thinking about the folks who have celebrated our film this past year and have shared how much it has meant to them. You got us here and we can feel you celebrating alongside us this morning. Thank you!

“Also, being able to be a small part of Michelle’s legacy as she becomes the first Asian woman to be nominated for Best Actress, is an honor we will cherish all our days. Thank you to the Academy for this embarrassment of riches, thank you A24 for championing this movie from day one, and congrats to all our beautiful friends who got nominated this morning! We love you!”

Todd Field, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Best Picture, “Tár”
“On behalf of everyone responsible for the making of ‘TÁR,’ we’re overjoyed by the recognition the Academy has shown our film, specifically the work of Cate Blanchett, Monika Willi, and Florian Hoffmeister. I’ll admit that for me personally, after sixteen-years away, it’s an emotional morning — and overwhelming, returning to this incredible community and to be afforded the rarest of privileges, that of celebrating the art of cinema.”

Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Best Picture, “Women Talking”
“Thank you to the members of the Academy.  We came together to make ‘Women Talking’ in the hopes it would bring audiences together and lead to conversations about what it could and would look like to imagine a different future.  This acknowledgement is a tremendous gift toward that possibility, and we are very grateful”

Sarah Polley, Adapted Screenplay, “Women Talking”
“I’m very happy today and so grateful to the incredible collective of cast and crew who made ‘Women Talking.’”

Martin McDonagh, Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
“So stunned and thrilled about the nine Oscar nominations for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin!’ Especially happy that my good friends Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan were nominated in the acting categories, all as first time nominees, and that our wonderful score and editing, by Carter Burwell and Mikkel Nielsen, were recognised too. Massive thanks to the Academy. I think we’re going to have a fun night.”

Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Kushner, Best Picture, “The Fabelmans”
“We as filmmakers focused on the joys, challenges and complexities of one family, and it’s so rewarding to be recognized not only by the Academy, but by those who have told us they see their own experiences reflected back in ‘The Fabelmans.’ We became a family working on this story about family, and with one voice we want to say – on behalf of our entire cast and crew – how grateful we are for the recognition this morning.”

Steven Spielberg, Best Director, “The Fabelmans”
“Making ‘The Fabelmans’ was a once-in-my-lifetime experience, and it wouldn’t have happened without the love, encouragement and support of my family of collaborators, as well as my real family, particularly my wife Kate and my sisters – Anne, Sue and Nancy. To be nominated by the Academy is always an incredible honor – but for this film even more so because of its deeply personal roots, and the only thing missing from my leaping heart is not being able to have my parents in the room for how much they’d be freaking out right now.”

Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Best Picture, “Elvis”
“We couldn’t be more honored by the Academy’s recognition of ‘ELVIS’ with eight nominations.  For many of us, bringing ‘ELVIS’ to the screen has been a more than 10-year journey, and we couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved. A huge congratulations to Austin Butler, who devoted more than three years to the role of Elvis and whose performance transcended our expectations every day. We celebrate our incomparable crafts teams, from production and costume design to hair and makeup, editing, sound and the historic inclusion of cinematographer Mandy Walker—only the third woman ever to be nominated for cinematography. Today’s incredible acknowledgements reaffirm for us all what a privilege it has been to contribute to Elvis Presley’s enduring legacy.”

Ruben Östlund, Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, “Triangle of Sadness”
“Ahoy! My gratitude goes out to the Academy this evening. Free Botox for everyone!! Maybe now I’ll lose the ‘Swedish director freaks out title.’ It is the perfect dramaturgy! The ‘triangle of sadness’ refers to the space just below one’s forehead, between their eyebrows, that is often considered the first thing to go as we age. In Sweden, we call it, ‘the trouble wrinkle’ and its emergence suggests that the owner has lived a life filled with struggle. This production was not that…As a director, one of the things I value most is the communal experience we all share when watching something together on the big screen. This film, perhaps more so than any of my previous work, is truly made for cinemas. It is loud, unapologetically in your face and meant to elicit strong reactions. I am so lucky to do what I get to do while working with an all-star ensemble cast of actors and the production team who were all crazy enough to go on this wild ride with me.”

Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, Best Animated Feature, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“We are so grateful to the Academy and honored that the medium of animation is accepted for the art form that it truly is. We made this film to reaffirm what it means to be human and to share a fable about life, love and loss. We thank all of our collaborators, our amazing cast and dedicated family of crew & animators who have painstakingly given their all throughout the many years it took to bring our Pinocchio to life.”

Ruth E. Carter, Best Costume Design, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“I’m proud to be amongst this incredible group of nominees, especially my fellow ‘Wakanda Forever’ colleagues. I feel very honored that my peers recognized the heart and soul put into the texture of storytelling.”

Jerry Bruckheimer, Best Picture, “Top Gun: Maverick”
“Honestly, I feel great. It’s so terrific when you get recognized by your peers. We make movies with them and for them and it’s thrilling when they see the hard work that goes into making all of these various movies. It was a combination of Tom and Joe [Kosinski] and [Christopher] McQ[uarrie], everybody brought a little piece of what they’ve learned through their history in the film business in their experience. And the Academy recognized all the hard work and excellence that went into making the film.

“Tom always said, ‘We’ve got to hit a bullet with a bullet.’ And he didn’t want to compromise on anything. All the actors trained to be in the jets so that they could take the G-forces. They put the hard work in and now we’ve got the accolades from our peers.

“Hope for the best but expect the worst. And this time we got it. It’s fantastic.”

John Williams, Best Original Score, “The Fabelmans”
“I’m very grateful to the Academy for their kind recognition, and I’m enormously grateful to Steven Spielberg for offering me the opportunity to compose the score for this very special and personal film.”

Ludwig Göransson, Best Original Song, “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
”I feel deep gratitude to have collaborated with Rihanna, Tems and Ryan Coogler on a song as profoundly personal as ‘Lift Me Up.’  For it to be recognized by the Academy is a huge honor. ‘Lift Me Up’ is a song that holds great meaning to us as it was written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of our friend, the late Chadwick Boseman, and his influence on this film. It felt cathartic and healing to write this song. We could not be more proud of this musical tribute and the unique collaboration that brought it to life.

“My deepest thanks go to Ryan Coogler, a true visionary and great friend, who created one of the most unique films of our time.”

Lukas Dhont, Best International Feature, “Close”
“13-year-old me, camera in hand, is jumping up and down screaming in his bedroom! For a long time I thought of cinema as a possibility to escape reality, a place to completely disappear. But fellow Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman showed me it could also become a space to confront the expectations, codes and roles assigned to me as a teenager. I couldn’t be more grateful that this piece about that fragile age is celebrated to this extent. I am grateful to the Academy, A24 and everyone who was with us on the journey of making ‘Close.’”

Edward Berger, Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, “All Quiet On The Western Front”
“When I asked my daughter if I should make ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ she said I should, so… here we are. Making a film is alchemy and if the right people and circumstances come together, if you are lucky enough, then somehow, miraculously, audiences connect to the experience. Thank you to everyone who has watched the film. Thank you to the Academy for this recognition. And thank you to my happy band of incredible collaborators. We are so very humbled by these nominations.”

Malte Grunert, Best Picture, “All Quiet On The Western Front”
“Thank you to the Academy for this incredible honor. ‘All Quiet on The Western Front’ has a history with the Academy. The first film adaptation was produced in Hollywood in 1929, at a time when this film already couldn’t have been made in Germany anymore and Hollywood was beginning to become a refuge for so many artists fleeing Europe. The film went on to receive two Academy Awards. To be connected to this history with our film, the first German language adaptation of Remarque’s literary masterpiece, makes us incredibly proud. Thank you very much.”

Sara Dosa, Best Documentary Feature, “Fire of Love”
“This nomination is a life changing occurrence –  a profound honor for which me and my entire team share boundless gratitude. We worked tirelessly to create a piece of cinema that weaves together Katia and Maurice’s story from the myriad materials and memories that they left behind. I am deeply indebted to my extraordinary collaborators, National Geographic Documentary Films and most notably, Katia and Maurice Krafft who taught us that the understanding that comes forth from deep inquiry and exploration can be another form of love.”

Alice Rohrwacher, Best Live Action Short, “Le Pupille”
“It’s an incredible honor for this little film about disobedient school girls to be nominated in the Live Action Short category. From the wonderful Alfonso Cuarón first approaching me with the idea of making a short film about Christmas, to the exquisite writings of the star Elsa Morante that inspired ‘Le Pupille,’ and the great Goffredo Fofi who pushed me to read this story about scandals, rebellion and a disproportionate cake. I want to thank the brilliant cast and crew who worked through the pandemic to bring our film to life, Alba Rohrwacher and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi who have illuminated this story and the beautiful and rowdy girls who participated. Making this big-little short and partnering with Disney to get it out in the world has been a magical journey. We’re so grateful to have been recognized among so many beautiful films from all over the world.”

Alfonso Cuarón, Best Live Action Short, “Le Pupille”
“It was an honor to collaborate on ‘Le Pupille’ with Alice Rohrwacher, who I believe is one of the most important filmmakers right now. I am thrilled that her very specific and beautiful cinematic voice has been recognized by the Academy.”

Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy, Best Documentary Short, “The Martha Mitchell Effect”
“We are so honored to be nominated for Best Documentary Short. 50 years later, Martha’s story couldn’t be more relevant today. This is for her and all the women who have been silenced when speaking truth to power.”

Kartiki Gonsalves, Best Documentary Short, “The Elephant Whisperers”
“It’s such an honor to have an Indian Indigenous documentary from the heart of South India acknowledged across the world. Thank you, members of the Academy for nominating ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. I am very thankful to the wonderful team at Netflix for believing in the power of this truly unique family story which showcases the lovely sacred bond between man and animal. ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ is a hopeful story of respect for and cooperation with nature in an era rife with conflict and denial of the threats to our beautiful planet. We hope this film helps create more awareness, empathy, and connection to elephants and other living beings that we share our spaces with. 

“It took five years to make my debut documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, a long personal journey from the place I call home, that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Kattunayakan Community, who opened their hearts and trusted us with their unique experiences and a pathway ahead. On behalf of Bomman, Bellie and our beautiful elephant friends Raghu and Ammu, we are thrilled to receive this great honor!”

Missy Schwartz and Drew Taylor contributed to this post.


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